Dust and debris catcher

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a self-contained dust and debris catcher including a single piece of material capable of being folded into a pouch-like configuration to receive dust and debris. The single piece of material includes a front adhesive component on the lower edge of the front surface and a rear adhesive component on the back surface. The front adhesive component is folded to form two sections which adhere forming the pouch-like configuration bounded by the sections of the lower edge of the front surface and the front surface, and the rear adhesive component is pressed against a surface where work is occurring.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to dust collection, particularly withregard to drilling or other operations on materials, which may producesignificant quantities of dust, such as, for example, drywall orplaster.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] Many improvement operations on both residential and commercialbuildings including such materials as drywall or plaster, produce largequantities of dust and debris during the improvement operation.Operations, such as drilling holes in the drywall or plaster coveredsurface, cutting holes for patching, sanding drywall compound, or evenremoval of nails or embedded drywall anchors, can produce undesirablequantities of debris and dust which may become airborne contaminants orsimply become embedded in carpeting or crevasses in the floor. In anyscenario such dust and debris is undesirable and irritating.

[0005] Previous approaches to reducing or eliminating the amount of dustand debris resulting from such operations have generally been ratherbulky or cumbersome. A very basic approach has been to vacuum any of thedust or debris after that dust or debris has settled, which may meanthat not all of the dust and debris is removed during vacuuming or thatdamage to the vacuum results from the debris chunks. Other approacheshave been to include bags on the power tools used to conduct theoperations, i.e. a bag on a power sander or connection to a centralizeddust collector. However, such approaches have failed to reduce oreliminate the dust and debris when a tool such as a hand-held drill orhand sander are used.

[0006] Other previous, mostly homemade approaches, have included the useof such common items as bathroom cups placed over drill bits to serve tocatch dust and debris when drilling. However, such approaches generallyonly work when drilling vertically, for example into the ceiling, andnot horizontally in which the dust may fall from the cup. In addition,such approaches may not work for all tools and operations, not alloperations are a substantially vertical operation, such as sawingoperations, in which the saw is moved both vertically and horizontallyto achieve the proper action. Lastly, the bathroom cup may be crushedduring the operation, for example, if one is drilling into drywall and ajoist, the drill bit is inserted further and the cup could be crushed,thereby spilling the contents.

[0007] Other approaches have included the attachment of various bagstructures to the surfaces. However, the attachment of bags to walls canpotentially result in problems of the bag closing and not receiving orcontaining all of the dust and debris. Even if a wire stand or loop isincluded to keep the bag open, the additional structure may becomeproblematic by being cumbersome or too weighty for the bag to beconveniently attached to the wall.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention is a self-contained dust and debris catcherincluding a single piece of material capable of being folded into apouch-like configuration to receive dust and debris. The single piece ofmaterial includes a front adhesive component on the lower edge of thefront surface and a rear adhesive component on the back surface. Thefront adhesive component is folded to form two halves, which adhereforming the pouch-like configuration, and the rear adhesive component ispressed against a surface where work is occurring.

[0009] An advantage of the structure of the present invention is theself-contained structure in that the only components required are thepiece of material and adhesive components. The adhesive components maybe integrated into the material so that the material may be quicklydeployed and formed into its pouch-like configuration. No additionalsupport structure is needed to keep the catcher open or against the worksurface.

[0010] A further advantage is the adhesive may be releasable such thatthe catcher may be emptied, disassembled, returned to an unfoldedposition, and later reused.

[0011] The present invention provides a catcher for dirt and debris fromperforming work on a structural surface including a single piece oflaminar material having an attachment strip on a lower edge on a frontside of the piece of material and a second attachment strip on a reverseside of the piece of material. The piece of material is capable of beingfolded on itself such that the first attachment strip forms two halveswhich are attached to each other, thereby forming a pouch-likeconfiguration and the second attachment strip is capable of securing thepiece of material in the pouch-like configuration to the structuralsurface.

[0012] The present invention further provides a stand alone catcher forwaste material resulting from the work on a structural surface, thestand alone catcher including a single piece of material having a frontsurface and a rear surface, a first attachment piece applied to a loweredge on the front surface, and a second attachment piece applied to therear surface. The piece of material is folded such that the firstattachment piece couples portions of the lower edge of the front surfacesuch that the piece of material is formed into a pouch-likeconfiguration bounded by the portions of the lower edge of the frontsurface and the front surface.

[0013] The present invention further provides a method of forming acatcher for debris and dirt resulting from work on a structural surface,including the steps of providing a single piece of material having atleast two attachment strips with one located on a lower edge of thefront of the piece of material and the second on the rear of the pieceof material, folding the piece of material in approximately half to formtwo sections of the lower edge and the attachment strip, pressing thesections of the attachment strip together to form a pouch-likeconfiguration, and moving the pouch-like configuration proximate thestructural surface and pressing the second attachment strip against thestructural surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The above mentioned and other features and objects of thisinvention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparentand the invention itself will be better understood by reference to thefollowing description of embodiments of the invention taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0015]FIG. 1 is a front view of a drywall dust and debris catcheraccording to the present invention, in an unfolded position;

[0016]FIG. 2 is a rear view of the drywall dust and debris catcher inFIG. 1, also in an unfolded position;

[0017]FIG. 3 is a front view of the drywall dust and debris catcher ofFIG. 1, in a partially folded position;

[0018]FIG. 4 is a front view of the drywall dust and debris catcher ofFIG. 1 in a completely folded position; and

[0019]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the drywall dust and debriscatcher of FIG. 4 attached to a wall in a working position.

[0020] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views. Although the drawings representembodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarilyto scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to betterillustrate and explain the present invention. The exemplifications setout herein illustrate embodiments of the invention, in several forms,and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scopeof the invention in any manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principlesof the invention, reference will now be made to the embodimentsillustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used todescribe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitationof the scope of the invention is thereby intended. The inventionincludes any alterations and further modifications in the illustrateddevices and described methods and further applications of the principlesof the invention which would normally occur to one skilled in the art towhich the invention relates.

[0022] Dust and debris catcher 20 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in itsunassembled, or unfolded, state. Dust and debris catcher 20 includessingle piece of material 22 having front surface 24 and rear surface 32.At the lower edge of front surface 24 is attachment strip 26 havingcorners 28 and 30, which are substantially aligned with the corners ofthe lower edge of surface 24. On rear surface 32, specificallysubstantially aligned with an upper edge thereof, is attachment strip34.

[0023] Single piece of material 22 may be of any material which isflexible enough to bend or fold into a pouch-like configuration as shownin FIGS. 4 and 5, such as a plastic material, paper material, or a foil.In the embodiment shown in the figures, single piece of material 22 is alaminar plastic material having 0.002 inch or 2 mil thickness anddimensions of eight-and-a-half (8.5) inches wide by nine-and-one-eighth(9.125) inches tall; however, other thicknesses and dimensions as wellas other materials may be used. The other requirement is that anattachment strip, or adhesive strip, is capable of being applied to theselected material for piece of material 22. By using a plastic, a paper,or a foil, no additional support structure is required to maintain theopening for receipt of the dust or debris.

[0024] Both attachment strips 26 and 34 may be of self-adhesive materialor other such adhesive materials in which the piece of material is ableto be applied to a wall surface or other non-adhesive surface as well asbeing applied to itself, or the adhesive material is stuck to itself.Additionally, both attachment strips 26 and 34 are applied to surfaces24 and 32 prior to folding and manipulating of material 22 such that allelements of dust and debris catcher 20 are contained within a singleunit. Both attachment strips 26 and 34 are shown as five-eighths (⅝)inches tall and extending the width of the single piece of material 22;however, as with the overall dimensions of piece of material 22, thedimensions of attachment strips 26 and 34 may be varied.

[0025] In FIG. 3, dust and debris catcher 20 is shown in a partiallyassembled state, or when an user of catcher 20 is in the process offolding and manipulating catcher 20 into the pouch-like configuration ofFIGS. 4 and 5. To assemble dust and debris catcher 20, the lower edge ofpiece of material 22 is folded in approximately half such that corners28 and 30 of adhesive strip 26 come together. By bringing corners 28 and30 together, adhesive strip 26 is divided into two halves 26A and 26Bwith each half extending from one of the corners 28 or 30 to mid-point36. Piece of material 22 is folded such that surface 24 is on the insideof what will become the pouch and surface 32 is on the outside.

[0026]FIGS. 4 and 5 show the completely assembled dust and debriscatcher 20 and its utilization. Continuing with the action shown in FIG.3, or from partial assembly to full assembly, in FIG. 4 corners 28 and30 are brought into an abutting relationship with the respective cornersadhering to each other through attachment strip 26. In addition,adhesive strip halves 26A and 26B are abutting and are adhering to eachother. This results from adhesive strip halves 26A and 26B being pressedtogether during assembly to form the pouch-like configuration which thencollects any dust and debris during the work.

[0027] In FIG. 5, dust and debris catcher 20 has been attached to wallsurface 42, which may include drywall covered wall surfaces or otherwall surfaces including a flat surface to which catcher 20 adheres.Attachment strip 34 on surface 32, or the rear, of dust and debriscatcher 20 has been pressed against wall surface 42 from corner 38 tocorner 40 of strip 34 to secure catcher 20 to the wall surface where thework is occurring. In general, dust and debris catcher 20 is disposedproximate hole 44 in wall surface 42 to collect dust and debris 46 whichfalls from hole 44 when hole 44 is created by such operations asdrilling, sawing, or the like.

[0028] As can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, dust and debris catcher 20 isself-supporting and self-opening in terms of no additional supportstructure is needed to maintain the open configuration to receive thedust and debris. By the folding of material 22 and the use of theattachment strips, no additional wire supports or closing mechanisms arerequired to hold the pouch-like configuration of catcher 20. Inaddition, catcher 20 is entirely self-contained and easily assembled,and by the locations of the attachment strips, even if the wrongattachment strip is brought together, catcher 20 is still usable sincethe attachment strip on front surface 24 is still available for adheringto wall surface 42.

[0029] Although attachment strip 26 has been described as an adhesivestrip, other attachment structures or methods may be used to secure thelower edge of piece of material 22 together, such as, for example,double stick tape or other tape products, glue, or other relatedattachment methods and devices. In addition, the selected adhesive forstrip 26 may be applied to only one half of the strip rather than acrossthe entirety of the strip.

[0030] The selection of material for piece of material 22 may affect theselection of the attachment method or device used to create the pouch.For example, if a metal foil is selected as the material, then anadhesive may not be necessary to secure the pouch, rather the lower edgeof the pouch may be folded on itself as described above and then foldedover multiple times to form the pouch. Another example would be certainadhesives do not adhere to certain materials, thereby eliminating theuse of those adhesives for strip 26.

[0031] Although catcher 20 is used individually to collect dust anddebris, multiple catchers 20 may be packaged as a single unit forpurchase by consumers or contractors. One such packaging method is toadd a perforated strip to each catcher 20 and place a certain number,i.e. fifty, of the catchers with the perforated strip in a pad structuresuch that one may tear a catcher 20 from the pad at the perforation andform the catcher as described above. The disposable strip would then beleft with the rest of catchers 20 in the pad until all catchers 20 areremoved and then the disposable strips discarded. Alternatively,multiple catchers 20, in a disassembled state, may be placed in acontainer, such as a box or bag, and sold as a single unit for purchase.

[0032] While the invention has been illustrated and described in detailin the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be consideredas illustrative and not restrictive in character. It should beunderstood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown anddescribed and that all changes and modifications that come within thespirit of the invention are desired to be protected.

What is claimed is:
 1. A catcher for dirt and debris from performingwork on a structural surface comprising: a single piece of laminarmaterial having an attachment strip on a lower edge on a front side ofsaid piece of material and a second attachment strip on a reverse sideof said piece of material; and wherein said piece of material is capableof being folded on itself such that said first attachment strip formstwo halves which are attached to each other, thereby forming apouch-like configuration; wherein said second attachment strip iscapable of securing said piece of material in said pouch-likeconfiguration to the structural surface.
 2. The catcher of claim 1wherein said single piece of material comprises a piece of plasticmaterial.
 3. The catcher of claim 1 wherein said single piece ofmaterial comprises a paper product.
 4. The catcher of claim 1 whereinsaid first attachment strip is an adhesive strip.
 5. The catcher ofclaim 1 wherein said second attachment strip is an adhesive strip. 6.The catcher of claim 1 wherein said lower edge of said piece of materialincludes two corners at either end of said lower edge, said firstattachment strip extending between said two corners of said lower edge.7. The catcher of claim 6 wherein said first attachment strip is foldedapproximately at said midpoint to form two sections, said two sectionsof said first attachment strip being pressed together to form saidpouch-like configuration bounded by the joinder of said sections andsaid front side.
 8. The catcher of claim 7 wherein said first attachmentstrip comprises an adhesive strip structured and arranged such that saidtwo sections of said first attachment strip adhere together.
 9. A standalone catcher for waste material resulting from the work on a structuralsurface, said stand alone catcher comprising: a single piece of materialhaving a front surface and a rear surface, a first attachment pieceapplied to a lower edge on said front surface and a second attachmentpiece applied to said rear surface, said piece of material being foldedsuch that said first attachment piece couples portions of said loweredge of said front surface such that said piece of material is formedinto a pouch-like configuration bounded by said portions of said loweredge of said front surface and said front surface.
 10. The stand alonecatcher of claim 9 wherein said second attachment strip is applied to anupper edge of said rear surface.
 11. The stand alone catcher of claim 10wherein said second attachment piece is adapted to be pressed to thestructural surface.
 12. The stand alone catcher of claim 9 wherein saidfirst and second attachment pieces comprise adhesive strips.
 13. Thestand alone catcher of claim 12 wherein said adhesive strips are capableof being released.
 14. The stand alone catcher of claim 9 wherein saidpiece of material is one of a paper material, a plastic material, and afoil material.
 15. The stand alone catcher of claim 9 wherein saidsecond attachment piece is capable of supporting said piece of materialin said pouch-like configuration without additional support.
 16. Thestand alone catcher of claim 9 wherein said first and second attachmentpieces include adhesives capable of adhering to itself and othersurfaces and capable of being released.
 17. The stand alone catcher ofclaim 16 wherein said piece of material is capable of returning to anunfolded position from said folded position to be reused.
 18. A methodof forming a catcher for debris and dirt resulting from work on astructural surface, comprising: providing a single piece of materialhaving at least two attachment strips with one located on a lower edgeof the front of the piece of material and the second on the rear of thepiece of material; folding the piece of material in approximately halfto form two sections of the lower edge and the attachment strip;pressing the sections of the attachment strip together to form apouch-like configuration; and moving the pouch-like configurationproximate the structural surface and pressing the second attachmentstrip against the structural surface.